The forbidden arts: family, faith, and cultural capital in Muslim middle class Dhaka

Abstract

South Asian culture is colourful, vibrant, and rich with a centuries old history of art and music, language and literature, food and festivals. The iconography for this region is distinct in its portrayal of both the mortal and the divine. But what does it look like when not taken out of context and aggrandized for an audience? The stereotypical portrayal of a young hopeful eager to take taleem from a guru in exchange for serving his household is no longer applicable. So then who is carrying on the proverbial torch and what does that look like in the 21st century? The purpose of this paper is to explore how traditional music, art, and culture are being practised today, and by whom. To that end, data has been collected first hand in the form of interviews, and then thematic analysis has been performed on the resultant information. This includes testimonies from fifteen individuals with middle-class muslim backgrounds in Dhaka, which were then dissected to observe the relationships between their participation in different cultural practices (which include performing and fine arts), and themes of faith, family, and finances. The subsequent findings highlight the mesh that is created from the interconnected strings of those relationships. The main goal here was to observe the impact of said themes as factors through a lens separate from one of stereotypical perceptions and Western ostracization, rather one of real representation and pragmatic scope instead. The final fact of the matter is that it is this grass root level participation and cultural propagation that keeps these traditions alive, and it is imperative that we study them so that preservation efforts can be maintained.